


Doghouse + Blackmail

by impossiblepluto



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Cairo Day 2019, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post episode 3x14
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 11:10:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impossiblepluto/pseuds/impossiblepluto
Summary: The first time Mac is injured after Jack left. He knows it's not possible, but he can almost feel Jack's hand in his hair, can almost smell the leather and gunpowder.





	Doghouse + Blackmail

Mac knows he's in Phoenix Med before his eyes are even opened. It's the smell of antiseptic, and the sheets rough from bleach. And the way everything is too loud and too quiet. How his limbs feel cumbrous. His hands clumsy and awkward as they skirt across the sheets, twitching, searching. His thoughts sluggish, yet racing, cycling and he can't grasp one for more than a moment.

Restless.

Anxious.

Anesthesia. It starts to come back to him. Sort of. Pieces.

Pain hiding in the foggy haze of his brain, until he shifts and that pain blossoms. A tight pull of stitches across his abdomen.

He hears a moan and it takes a moment for him to realize that it's him.

He can almost hear Jack telling him to stop squirming. That he got into a knife fight with a doctor and lost. His lips twitch at the very Jack-like description his muzzy brain conjures to help him relax. He knows it can't be true though. Jack isn't here.

That hurts worse than the ache from his incision.

It's a blur. The mission. The moment that everything went wrong. Swirling thoughts. Pain, fear and blood.

And Jack wasn't there.

Hands that press hard against the wound. Strong, callouses in all the right spots but smaller. Not Jack's

Bright lights. Panicked words, followed by reassurances that he will be fine, but none in that low comforting drawl.

Going under the knife without Jack there waiting for him to wake up.

No wonder in this post anesthesia haze his brain is trying to comfort him, protect him from reality and convince him that Jack is sitting at his bedside. It's not possible. Their only communications with Jack are the weekly Skype sessions, when Jack calls from locations unknown. Still he appreciates the lengths his imagination is taking to provide comfort. He can almost feel that familiar hand in his hair. Can almost smell leather and gunpowder. Is positive that he can hear Jack's voice in his ear.

He sighs in contentment, accepting the fictitious comfort and slips further into sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Jack's hand skims across Mac's forehead, smoothing wisps of blond hair. The action soothes the frown on Mac's face. His restless movement slow, and he gives in to the pull of drug induced sleep.

"Jack," Mac murmurs with a sigh, as if recognizing the comfort that's been missing from his life for too long. It's only been a few months, but the mission that stretches on before them with no end in sight makes those months feel like an eternity.

Watching the lines of tension ease from Mac's face, it's almost enough to keep Jack from returning to his task force. Walking away from Mac was the hardest thing he ever did, and he's going to have to do it again.

The room is dark. Phoenix Med is quiet tonight. For that Jack is grateful. No one around to catch him breaking in to watch over his partner. No one to see his weakness. Almost no one.

"Thanks for the call," Jack whispers, his gaze not leaving Mac's face.

Across the room a shadow disengages from the rest of the darkness.

"I wasn't sure the message even got through," Matty says, stepping into the dim light. "You must have left the moment you heard."

"Is he okay?" Jack asks, his hand rests on Mac's forehead again, gauging the warmth there.

"The doctor says he was lucky. He'll make a full recovery and can go home in a day or two."

Jack breathes a sigh of relief. Tension that twisted his shoulders into knots slowly releasing.

"How long can you stay?" Matty asks.

"Ah..." Jack hesitates. "About five minutes."

"There's not going to be a manhunt for you, is there?" Matty asks, only half-joking. She knows the length Jack is willing to go to keep Mac healthy, safe and whole.

"I'm not AWOL, but I'm definitely in the doghouse."

"Jack!" She hisses, anger in her voice, but cognizant of the sleeping agent a few feet away.

"The doghouse is where I spend most of my time anyway, Matty. You know that. I'm barely house trained as it is. I'm thinking of building an addition and an extra bathroom."

"This isn't something to joke about, Jack," Matty scolds but instantly starts planning which phone calls to make to help her agent. He's still hers, no matter where his current mission takes him. "What can I do?"

"Don't worry. I called in some favors. Maybe used a little blackmail. It'll be fine. I just, I had to see him," Jack blinks harshly, grateful once again for the dim light to hide his weakness. "I had to see him and know he's okay. Skype wasn't gonna cut it this time."

"The doctor said he'd probably sleep until morning," Matty says. She can't help but feel a sense of despair at the sacrifices Jack made to see his boy and Mac probably won't wake in time to talk with him.

"Might be a little easier that way. Selfishness on my part. I get to see him, and he doesn't have to deal with my weakness."

"He needs you as much as you need him."

Jack shakes his head. "Nah, I might let you think that, but I've always needed him more. Kid saved my life, and I'm not just talking about the bomb I stepped on. You knew me back then, back before Mac. Guys like that don't get to peacefully retire. That guy was going out with a bang, one way or another."

"That's why you left him here." It's not a question, but a realization, a confirmation of what she knew all along.

"I knew I was gonna have be that guy again."

"Mac knows who you are, Jack. Knew who you were when you met him and still decided you were worth the effort."

"He saw the after effects. He never had to watch me hunt a man with the intent to kill. Can you blame me for wanting to protect him from that?"

Bringing down Kovac is the secondary mission. His primary goal, as always, is to keep Mac safe. Even from himself. He needs to let Mac go, at least for now. Keep Mac sheltered from the things he's going to be forced to do. It's why he turned down Matty's offer to get the Phoenix involved. It's why he told Mac he was leaving him behind. To keep his family untouched by the horrors that Kovac has unleashed, and the actions Jack will take to stop him.

And to give Jack a safe haven to believe in, that hopefully, as long as he's not too broken, he can come home to when it's over.

Jack turns his attention back towards the bed, done with this conversation. He has so little time here, in this semblance of normalcy. He doesn't want to waste it brooding. He focuses on the moment, on providing what little comfort he can to his kid.

He doesn't deserve comfort himself when he's currently acting as a dealer of death.

So engrossed in this moment, he barely registers Matty stepping from the room. He sits in the dim light longer than he should, but he can't bear to pull himself away.

It's going to cost him, heavily. Emotionally. This small comfort he's allowing himself. Being this close and walking away again.

He feels guilty at how grateful he is that Mac will sleep through this visit. That he won't have to look into hurt blue eyes and leave his partner behind. It almost killed him the last time. Turning and walking out the door, down the hall and away from Mac.

"Jack," Matty announces herself as she steps back into the room, knowing how dangerous a distracted, emotional Jack can be.

"Yeah, I know," he says, thinking that she's reminding him of the ticking clock and his waiting mission.

"You've got twelve hours."

"What?" Jack looks up in confused surprise and a glimmer of hope.

"And I didn't even have to blackmail anyone," she smiles. "I think you've still got a change of clothes in your locker. And I'll have some food delivered. You might think that it's just you that needs him, but I saw the look on his face when you left. I know that Star Wars and Die Hard are playing continuously for background noise because his mind misses you prattling in the background when he tinkers. And that he spends more nights at your apartment than he does his own house."

"Matty, I-" Jack scrubs a hand across his face and swallows hard before he can continue. "Thank you."

She rolls her eyes. "All I did was keep my emotions in check long enough to get what I wanted. You probably could have gotten the time on your own if you hadn't run off half-cocked."

Jack chokes out a laugh. "You calling me a sissy?"

"Only where MacGyver's concerned."

Jack cants his head. "Yeah, I guess that's fair."

 

* * *

 

"The real question here, is would you have mentioned your little surgery on our next Skype call? And I have to say, if you were back home by then and could keep Bozer and Riley off the call, the answer would be 'no.' You'd try to hide it from me. And when you got caught, because, of course I'd catch you, hoss, you never could lie to me, you'd tell me something dumb like you didn't want me to worry. Which is misplaced effort on your part, because there's never been a time that I wasn't worried about you."

Anesthesia is a trip. Mac's had some vivid dreams where Jack is ranting at him but the detail in this particular dream is astounding. Especially since it feels exactly like he's waking up. He's got a headache buzzing in the back of his skull, and a twinge of nausea that always accompanies the return to consciousness after surgery.

The sunlight breaking just beyond the window is a masterpiece. Mac's never thought of himself as an artist, but even he's impressed with the scene his mind has painted.

But Jack in his dreams is usually less tactile than real life. More emotionally reserved, and harbors Mac's inability to express his feelings as candidly and genuinely. Though he's never woken from anesthesia without Jack-actual at his bedside, so maybe post-anesthesia dream-Jack would always be more emotionally-charged than normal dream-Jack.

Jack is also missing the fuzzy haze that usually surrounds figures in his dreams. Mac reaches out a finger and pokes at the figment.

"You awake there, buddy?" Jack asks laughing, and catching Mac's hand.

"Are you really here?"

"In the flesh."

Mac starts to push up from the bed, hissing when the pain steals his breath.

"Hey, easy there, Mac," Jack scolds gently. "You got too many stitches in your belly to be squirming all around like that. Doc'll be pissed if you bust 'em open."

"I'm fine," Mac says, breathing through the pain. "It's not that bad."

"You're really gonna try that with me right now?" Jack shakes his head. "I was here when the doctor checked on your incision this morning. You were practically filleted."

"How are you here?"

"I'm not back, hoss," Jack says, putting a hand on Mac's shoulder, hoping to soften the blow. "And even Matty and I combined probably don't have enough favors to call in to get me back here every time you get hurt. I just needed to see you. If only for a few minutes."

Mac's emotions are too close to the surface and his hand brushes roughly across his eyes. "How did you know?"

Jack laughs, trying to lighten the mood. "My MacGyver-sense. It's like a spidey sense, but instead of letting me know when I'm in imminent danger it lets me know when you're about to do something stupid."

"We've talked about this, neither of those things exist."

"It was Matty, but don't think she's holding out on you. She didn't know if the message would even make it to me, and she had no idea that I'd be able to get here. I'm sorry I can't stay longer."

"You came though, to make sure I was okay."

"I'll always come for you, Mac," Jack says, hoping to convey the depth of his feelings. "If you ever need me, I'll be there."

Mac feels warmth blossom in his chest at Jack's words. Even miles away Jack is still worried about him, checking up on him. It helps to ease the ache in his heart.

"This time though, it was totally selfish. It wasn't for you. It was all for me. I couldn't do my thing because I was worried about you. And I made enough of a nuisance of myself to get a few hours to check on you."

Mac can't help the teasing smile that crosses his face. "You've always been good at that."

"What? Being a nuisance? I'm a little out of practice," Jack replies and Mac scoffs. "Last couple of years, it's just a given I'll be there if you're hurting. It's been a while since I've had to sweet talk a CO into letting me stick with you."

"I guess I've taken that for granted too. I just always thought you'd be there," Mac says.

Those words hit Jack like a punch to the gut. Years of promising Mac that nothing would drive him from his partner's side. Countless reminders that Jack was here for the long haul. Turns out one thing could make Jack leave Mac behind.

"Leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever done. I think I might have tried to brush over that a little bit, because I wouldn't have made it out the door otherwise." Jack fumbles for the words to continue, to explain, but he's having trouble finding them.

Mac is surprised to see Jack struggling to find the words. Usually the man has enough for both of them.

"I'm not sure why you thought you had to be the one to take on the hunt for Kovacs again. And I'm not going to ask for an explanation because I trust you. But I know that you're going to have to go back to being that guy that hunted him in the first place. And I know that's going to cost you a lot."

"More than I ever thought possible," Jack admits quietly.

"And I was hurt that you wouldn't take me with you. I thought, at first, it was to protect me from seeing you like that. I'm not going to lie, that made me angry. You don't need to shield me from your past."

"You've already seen me at my worst," Jack acknowledges. "Already saved me from myself."

"But it wasn't just to protect me. It was to protect you."

"I needed you here. Safe. For me to come home to. Selfish, huh? Walking back into that life, then expecting you to fix me again."

"Bravest guy I know."

"I don't know what it's going to cost me this time, Mac." Jack needs him to understand the toll the mission has already taken. The way it's already exposing old scars and fissures that never fully healed. "I'm not sure who I'll be at the end of it."

"Doesn't matter. Just promise me that you'll come back."

**Author's Note:**

> Epilogue: Not long after the rest of the team showed up with snacks. Mac wasn't alone when Jack left again, and while it wasn't easier to walk away this time, he knew his team was prepared to continue to take care of each other until he was back to resume his role as protector. 
> 
>  
> 
> With a prompt like "Best Friends" and a friendship like theirs, you'd think this story would have been easier to write. Jack had a lot to say, that he couldn't realistically say and then leave Mac again, which was tough. I rely a lot on Jack to pack the emotional punch.  
> Also Desi, Riley and Bozer all sent the message and stepped out of the shadows, before I settled on Matty. Each with their own concerns to voice to Jack. Maybe someday I'll clean up their scenes, and it'll be like "Clue" where you can choose your own scenario. 
> 
> Happy Cairo Day/Week


End file.
